High velocity sewer flusher



Dc.v2 9, 194-2. H. WIJEWELL 'HIGH \iELOCITY SEWER FLUSHER Filed May :51, 1941 HOWARD H4 dam? V INVENTOR A'rroRNEY 1 Patented Dec. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,306,445 I HIGH VELOCITY SEWER FLUSHER. Howard W. Jewell, Los Angeles, Calif. A

Application May 31, 1941, Serial No. 395,965

Claims.

1 The present invention relates to an improved type of flushing siphon particularly adapted for use in flushing sewers and is characterized by the ease with which it may be installed, compact arrangement and high efliciency. The siphonof the present invention has high capacity expressed in cubic feet per second and a higher Velocity of flow in feet per second for a given head of water. Moreover, the siphons of the present invention impart a swirling or centrifugal action to the body of water being discharged, thereby thoroughly cleansing and scouring the sewer.

Although the invention is capable of being used for other purposes, its greatest field lies in the flushing of sewers. It is well known that all stretches of sewer pipe require periodic flushing for the purpose of removing sediment which collects along the bottom. In the lower portions of a stretch of sewer pipe there is usually a sufii= cient flow to carry away deposits but in the uppper stretches of sewer lines the flow is merely a trickle along the bottom and in these upper sections it is highly desirable to employan automatic flushing means. I

Generally stated, therefore, an automatic sewer :flusher is a device which may be supplied with a constant small trickle of water which collects in a holding tank or catch basin. After a predetermined quantity of water has collected in such holding tank, the body of water is automatipally released and discharged into the sewer. The

siphon adapted to impart a rotary motion to waters'discharged thereby.

A further object is to provide an improved automatic siphon which is compact and easy to A still further object isto provide an automatic siphonof simple construction which is capable of being readily adjusted for most effective operation at various elevations and under different barometric pressures.

These and other objects and advantages of th invention will become apparentto those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred form, reference being had to the appended drawing showing-an exemplaryform of the invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. '1 is a side elevation of the automatic siphon installed in a holding tank.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken along the plane II .-II of Fig, l.

present invention relates to an improved type oi device adapted for this purpose.

Generally stated, the sewer flusher of this invention is a siphon of novel construction includtion is imparted to the body of water, producing high velocity of flow with a concurrent swirling action which most efiectively dislodges'any sediment which may be in the bottom of the sewer.

.An object of the present invention,therefore,

.through the siphon into the sewer, a rotary mois to disclose and provide an improved automatic Patent No. 931,453 and Walker Patent No.

Siphons of this character are expensive to install and the sewer connected to such siphon can not be cleaned through the holding tank.

It is to :be understood that at times it is necessary to manually clean the sewer or to clean the sewer by passing chains, scrapers or other devices therethrough. Access to the sewer'line is therefore of, importance.

- The present invention pertains to an automatic siphon which does not extend below the level of the sewer to which it is connected. As shown in the drawing, a holding tank or catch basin, generally indicated at I, is built beneath the surface of the ground 2, such tank being'provided with a suitablemanhole 3 and a base 4. Extendingv into the catch basin or tank I is the end of a a sewer 5. For purposes of simplicity, the automatic siphon is shown attached to the end of a sewer although it is to be understood that the siphons of this invention may be attached at any intermediate point in a sewer line.

The automatic siphon, generally indicated by the numeral 6, is preferably made of ceramic sections suitably glazed inside and out. It has been found that burned ceramic bodies coated internally with a clay slip are eminently suited for use both as sewer pipe and as portions or units of the siphon, the clay slip forming a uniform, smooth, highly resistant surfacing having better properties than clay pipe which has been salt glazed.

The automatic siphon may comprise a siphon intake portion 1 in the form of an inverted U' conduit positioned to one side and above the outlet portion 8. The outlet portion 8 may be in the form of a single sweep T, a lateral, or a T,

having an outlet directed into and adapted to,

be connected to the sewer 5, as, for example, at the joint 9. This outlet portion 8 is a virtual eX- tension of the sewer axis. A clean-out port I is provided in the outlet portion, this clean-out port being ordinarily closed but capable of being opened for the purpose of inserting a go-devil or other cleaning implement into the sewer. The outlet portion 8 is also provided with a port II.

One of the downwardly directed legs of the inverted U or siphon intake portion 7 is connected by means of a helical conduit with the port II. This spiral conduit portion is shown in the drawing as composed of two return bend elements I2 and I3 suitably connected to each other. In plan view as shown in Fig. 3, the helical condult, including the elements I2 and I3, is between the open or intake end of the intake port-on and the port II of the outlet portion 8. Diffaently expressed, it may be stated that the axis of revolution of the helical conduit portion is horizontal and that this axis of revolution when extended intersects the outlet portion 8 between the port II and the cutlet joint 9 of the sewer 5. r In the plan view Fig. 3, the approximate axis of revolution of the helical conduit is indicated at rat and it will be seen that it interseats the sewer and the outlet portion 8 on the down grade side of the outlet II. The same re- -.-aks apply to the curved top of the inverted U or the intake portion '1, that is, an extension of this axis of revolution will also intersect the outlet portion 8 or the sewer 5 on the down grade side of the port I I. The importance of this arrangement will be explained hereinafter.

It may be noted that the lower or intake open end of the intake siphon is provided with a sniff hole I1, this snifi hole establishing the lower water level (after discharge) which is indicated at IS. The water level, prior to discharge, may reach a line indiciated at I8.

Attention is called to the fact that an automatic siphon of the type herein described, when installed at about sea level, will operate under one head but when installed at a high elevation, say that encountered at Denver, will operate at a different head of water in the tank due to the difference is barometric pressure. Since the effectiveness of an automatic siphon of this character depends somewhat upon a predetermined desired head, the present invention includes an adjustable air trap which permits ready adjustment for the purpose of compensating for variations in barometric pressure and minor varia tions in the size of the various portions or units which make up the completed siphon, so that maximum head and rate of discharge are positively attained.

This adjustable device comprises a U-shaped air trap including a relatively small conduit connecting the entry and discharge zones of the helical conduit, the point of connection at the discharge zone being at a higher elevation than the point of connection at the entry zone.

This adjustable air trap is shown in greater particularity in Fig. 4 and includes metal outlets 20 and 2| in communication with the interior of the helical conduit sections I3 and I2 respectively. The connection 20 is made to the bottom of the upper spiral conduit section I3 whereas'the connection 2| is made to the upper entry zone of the member I2. These two connections 20 and 2| are connected by means of a flexible hose 22 which may be adjusted upon a downwardly extending nipple 23 extending from the connection 2|. It will be noted that the bottom of the flexible connection 22 may be raised or lowered by adjustably positioning one end of the hose 22 upon the metal tube which telescopically enters the hose. Although rubber, impregnated fabric or other materials may be used for the hose 22, it has been found that certain of the synthetic rubbers such as those sold under the names of Duprene, Neoprene, Amerpole, etc., appear to be best suited.

The operation of the arrangement will be apparent to those skilled in the art. However, it may be stated that a small stream of water may be admitted to the holding and filling tank I through a valved outlet 25, the water rising in the holding tank until it reaches the level indicated by dotted line I8. By that time, water would have risen in the upstanding leg of the siphon intake portion 1 almost up to the bend therein. The air trapped within the intake siphon portion 1 would have been compressed and the priming liquid in the lower section I2 of the spiral would have been shifted slightly. The adjustment tube or air trap 22 is also originally filled with water but as the water in the holding tank I reaches the level I8, the pressure of the trapped air Within the siphon I eventually depresses the water in the lower section I2 to be: low the connection 2|, whereupon the compressed air in 1 forces liquid through the tube 22 into the upper portion I3 of the spiral conduit. This sudden release of air pressure causes the hydrostatic head of water within the tank I to set off. the siphon, whereupon all of the water in the tank is rapidly discharged through the siphon and helical conduit into the outlet portion 8 and into the sewer. During such discharge, it will be noted that the water travels in substantially thr same direction at all times, the direction of flow in the upper portions of the siphon and spiral conduit being indicated by arrows in Fig. 3. A spiral motion is imparted to the water and highvelocity is attained. As soon as the water level reaches the sniff hole 11, the siphoning action stops.

Comparative tests between automatic siphons, of the character described herein and the usual S-shaped siphons have shown that a 7 inch diameter siphon of the improved type will discharge water at a higher velocity than a stand ard siphon of 8 inch diameter. When the siphons were made from conduits of the same d-iameter, it was found that an increase in efiiciencyof between 8% and 11% was obtained, the siphons during such comparative tests. operating under equivalent heads of water.

I claim:

1. An automatic sewer flushing system comprising, in combination, a catch basin, a siphon therein, and a substantially horizontally extending outlet portion directed into and connected to a sewer: a vertically directed port leading into said outlet portion; said siphon including a conduit in the form of a helix of one revolution about a horizontal axis lying in a plane intercepting the outlet portion on the down-grade side, one end of said helix being connected to the vertically directed port of the outlet portion; and a siphon intake portion in the form of an inverted U, one of the legs of said intake portion being connected to the helix, the curved top of said inverted U being curved about a horizontal axis lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the axis of revolution of the helix, whereby liquid passing through the siphon intake, helix and outlet portion changes direction only in the direction of rotation of the helix and a swirling motion is imparted to said liquid discharged into the sewer. 1

2. An automatic sewer flushing system comprising, in combination, a catch basin, a siphon therein, and an outlet portion connecting to a substantially horizontal sewer, said outlet portion being provided with a vertically directed port; said siphon including a conduit in the form of a helix of onerevolution about a horizontal connected to the helix, the curved top of said inverted U being curved about a horizontal axis lying in substantially thesame vertical plane as the axis of revolution of the helix, whereby liqmotion is impartedtosaid liquid; a U-shaped air axis lying in a plane intercepting the outlet porportion in the form of an inverted U, one of the legs of said intake portion being connected to the helix, the curved top of said inverted U being curved about a horizontal axis lying in substantially the same vertical plane as the axis of revolution of the helix, said helix being positioned between the lateral positions of the inverted U and outlet portion, whereby liquid passing through the siphon intake, helix and outlet portion changes direction only in the direction of rotation of the helix and a swirling motion is imparted to said liquid. V

3. An automatic sewer flushing siphon comprising in combination, a catch basin, a siphon therein, and a connection to a sewer, said siphon including an outlet portion provided with a horizontal outlet port axially directed into and adapted to be connected to the sewer and a vertically directed port into said outlet portion; a conduit in the form of a helix of one revolution about a horizontal axis lying in a plane in'tercepting the outlet portion on the down-grade.

side, one end of said helix being connected to the vertically directed port of the outlet portion; a siphon intake portion in the form of an inverted U, one of the legs of said intake portion being trap comprising a relatively small conduit connecting entryand discharge zones of the helix, the point of connection at the discharge zone being at a higher elevation than the point of connection at the entry zone; and flexible means for. adjustably varying the length of the air trap conduit.

4. An automatic sewer flushing system comprising, in combination,.a catch basin, a substantially horizontally extending sewer connected to said catch basin, and a siphon in the catch basin and connected to said sewer, said siphon including a conduit in the form of a helix of one revolution about a horizontal axis, the discharge end of said helix being connected to thesewer, and a siphon intake portion in the form of an inverted U, one of the legs of said intake portion being connected to the helix, the curved top of said inverted U being curved about a. horizontal axis lying substantially in the same vertical plane as the axis of revolution of the helix but extending to an elevation appreciably above the level of said helix, whereby liquid passing through the siphon intake and helix changes direction only 'in the direction of rotation of the helix, and a swirling motion is imparted to liquid discharged by said siphon into the sewer.

5. An automatic sewer flushing system comprising, in combination, a catch basin, a substantially horizontally extending sewer connected to said catch basin, and a siphon in the catch basin and connected to said sewer, said siphon including a conduit in the form of a helix of one revolution about a horizontal axis, the discharge end of said helix being connected to the sewer, and a siphon intake portion in the form an inverted U, one of the legs of said intake portion being connected to the helix, the curved top of said inverted U being curved about a horizontal axis lying substantially in the same vertical plane as the axis of revolution of the helix but extending comprising a relatively small conduit connecting entry and discharge zones of the helix, and flexible means for adjustably varying the length of the air trap conduit.

HOWARD W. JEWELL. 

